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Top 7 Techniques For Recruiting Managers

We pay far too much heed to written qualifications and too little to a candidate's ability to communicate, which - in most managerial positions - will be the key asset.

Advertise the position and ask for a resumé and covering letter to be submitted to your company. The key is to see how well a potential candidate can communicate, for this is the talent that will allow them to succeed in management.

Read all the letters of application first - before you read the attached resumés - and choose your top seven candidates. Unless you are employing someone as a resumé writer, their letter will be a much better guide of their ability.

Now look at the resumés of those seven and decide which ones you'd like to interview. You will invariably find they are all excellent candidates. Good communicators are generally good workers and managers.

Call the selected candidates yourself - inviting them for an interview - and listen to how they respond on the phone. The assessment process starts here so make notes on the phone.

As each candidate arrives, greet them, get comfortable and then hold silent for 20 seconds and allow them to initiate the conversation. If they don't, you start talking. If they do, put them at the top of your list. They'll be able to take control of negotiations when they're working for you.

Go through the technical side of the work, making sure they have the ability to do the job, but give points out of 10 for (1) Personal Presentation (2) Conversation (3) Ideas (4) Calmness (5) How well they listen to your questions.

Finally, after the interview, see if one of them sends a letter thanking you for the meeting. If so, that's your new employee - follow-up is the most important asset for a manager. If not, add up your interview scorecards and choose your new manager.

Geoff Hill is a Zimbabwean writer and broadcaster and is president of Something of Value, a consultancy firm that specialises in African business and political issues. He has worked in Australia, the USA and England before returning home to Zimbabwe last year.Email: talkafrica@samara.co.zw